Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit is the fascinating account of Eric L. Haney's experiences as one of the founding members of Delta Force, a section of the military which is top secret. Members of Delta Force blend in with the U.S. population and the army doesn't actually acknowledge their existence. Delta Force was started by Colonel Charlie Beckwith, and members recruited included soldiers, CIA operatives, Secret Service and even criminals who brought with them a wealth of knowledge regarding explosives.
Haney and others went through a rigorous training process which was partly physical and partly mental. In-between the physical exercises they were subject to, they would be asked to read maps, do math or fill out psychological evaluations. They had to do a series of hikes where they were given heavy backpacks and a set of coordinates. Once they reached their destination, they would get another set of coordinates, and the process was repeated several times, making it as grueling as possible. As a kind of final test, members of Delta Force were asked to elude the FBI in the Washington D.C. area, and they managed to do this successfully.
After the training was over, Haney was involved in several missions, especially in Central America, and he talks about "Mr. Reagan's secret wars in Central America" — operations that the American public never even heard about. There were times when Delta Force was on the verge of completing a mission such as, for example, taking out hijackers, when they were asked to stand down. Haney is quite outspoken in his criticism of the government, sometimes for interfering in matters unnecessarily and, at other times, for not interfering at all.
Overall, this book is a fascinating read and takes you deep into the world of anti-terrorism missions the world over. Even though it's a work of non-fiction, the narrative keeps the reader moving from page to page, wondering what will happen next.
Download Inside Delta Air Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit now and get an inside look at the workings of this top secret group in the fight against terrorism.
Eric L. Haney was born and raised in Lindale, Georgia where he attended high school. He entered the army right after graduating and was advancing along the ranks when he decided to try out for the Delta Force Unit. Out of the 163 people who tried out for Delta Force, he was among the 12 who were selected. He stayed with the unit until 1990, completing missions in Central America and the Middle-East. Since then, he has worked as a security consultant, bodyguard and private kidnap rescuer. The CBS television series, The Unit was inspired by Haney's experiences with Delta Force and he is one of its co-executive producers.
"Written by a member of the first operational group to pass through Beckwith's training program after Delta beat out Blue Light as the US prime CT force, you'll never quite get over exactly how these fellows prove their mettle and training effectiveness -- a final exam unlike anything your imagination could concoct. "That's not possible," you'll say to yourself. "Nobody would let them do that!" And the methods used to make that exam work are equally unreal. Let's just say it's life-threatening and performed in an instinctive fashion with pinpoint accuracy or you kill your friends. And then the players switch places, and they kill you if anything goes wrong. And then the process is repeated. Then repeated again. And again. Think what you like about the military (I'm a strong supporter), but you WILL respect these guys, and you will be glad they are on the side of a country with civilian control."
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David (4 out of 5 stars)